River Island

Seventeen

Thalia

"You hit like my grandma." I taunted Anteros. "And she was human."

He growled and lunged at me from the air. Seeing his aerial assault coming, I stepped aside quickly using his club to hit him on his back. He landed on his face and the rest of the group winced.

"You're a disgrace to us all Ant." Phobos called out laughing.

"Way to go Thalia." Eros cheered.

"I told you she could get in your head dude." Deimos laughed.

"You're all traitors." He said from the ground rolling onto his back.

"I bring news on the games boys." Hedylogos said joining us. "My lady."

Hed was part of the Erotes. Also part of the winged boy band, that's what I've chosen to call it, are Eros, Anteros, Himeros, Pothos, Hymenaios and Hermaphroditus. I don't understand why the gods couldn't name their kids normal names like Steve or Bob. I mean everyone here has a tongue twister name. It's frustrating.

The Erotes were Aphrodite's henchmen if you wanted a loose definition of them. Four out of the seven were her sons. All had wings and love or desire related powers. All were too perfect to be real. And they could also kill just about anyone and anything with a bat of an eye.

"What you got for us Hed?" Eros asked helping his brother off the ground.

"You know how yesterday was the day each house announced their champion? And Jasper was supposed to take part this year?" He asked excitedly.

"Yeah. The two of us rotate games." Eros said.

"Rotate?" I asked.

"Jasper and Eros have never faced each other in the Arena despite how epic that would be. They always swap when they'll represent their houses. House Hades and house Ares are reigning champions. Always switching the trophy between them. No one was ever beat either of them. It's sort of an unspoken tradition." Deimos explained.

"Jasper was supposed to enter this game since Eros took part last games." Ant said clutching his side.

"In all honesty these games have turned into a 'which house will dethrone Eros and or Jasper' sort of thing. But to do that they'd have to kill them. And they are hard to kill." Phobos said.

"Are you guys done? Can I talk now?" Hed asked frowning.

"Sorry buddy." I chuckled.

"As I was saying. Yesterday Thalia was supposed to come with Ares and I to announce she was our champion." Hed continued.

"Yeah but she was in the middle of training. And dad didn't want people seeing her till game day." Ant said.

"Interrupt me again and I will shove that club of yours up your ..."

"Okay. Can we all stop contributing? Go on Hed." I said stepping in.

"Thank you Thalia. Anyway, Hades was one of the first to name his champion. Jasper was there and he was looking all smug when he was announced and everything as usual. Then Ares being the last one was all 'From house Ares we name my daughter Thalia as this games champion.' And before Zeus could call an end to the announcements Jasper dropped down as house Hades champion." He finished out of breath.

"What?" Ant asked.

I was thinking the same thing buddy.

"I thought as much." Eros smiled shaking his head.

"Why?" Hedylogos asked looking at him wide eyed.

"He's not going to fight Thalia. Especially in one that requires you to be the last person breathing." He shrugged like it was obvious. "If the rules were different, maybe. But even then he still wouldn't do it."

"He must really like you." Deimos smirked.

"I doubt that." I mumbled. "Who's taken his place?"

"The head demon down in the underworld. Hades wanted one of his other children but Jasper wasn't having it. Either a demon or no one at all." Hed shrugged.

"I'm going to freshen up." I said wanting to get away from the conversation. "I'll see you guys tonight."

Leaving the group without waiting for a response I made my way back to where I had been staying for the past three weeks.

I was right when I said there were going to break me. Phobos and Deimos did the mental and emotional breaking while the others broke me physically. They said it was a way to shed my mortal skin and bring out my inner goddess. According to them we were eighty percent there. And it was enough for me to win the games.

I was only allowed to talk to a few individuals. No one else on Olympus was allowed to see or talk to me. In my time here I had seen Ares only a number of times. And Aphrodite was still a complete mystery to me. Axel always snuck into my room at night to keep me company which I appreciated. Even though his identity was still a mystery I considered him a friend.

I also spent time mastering the arena and how it worked. We trained there whenever the other Olympus champions had left. That place was a moving death trap. Creatures and booby traps popping up to kill you. As if eleven other blood thirsty gods weren't enough.

Harmonia spent the hours I wasn't training teaching me how to use my mother's gifts on the battle field. And she and Phobos taught me everything I needed to know about mythology. Including everyone's greatest fear. We were able to narrow down one of my strong gifts. Illusion.

I had discovered with Eros' help that I could not only sense a person's deepest desires and fears, I could also manifest them into an illusion. Sure the superhuman strength and agile reflexes were cool, but being able to manipulate what someone saw, felt, smelt or heard was a whole other kind of power. Love and fear really are the most deadly emotions in existence.

People would do anything for love. Gods would do anything to get what they wanted. Knowing those two things and being able to manipulate people with that knowledge was electric. I had tried on several people. Nymphs I saw around the place that got on my nerves. Deimos when he was being an asshole. Some of Aphrodite's daughters for thinking they were in any way and form better than me. They all got a taste of their own medicine. It was one thing to make someone feel scared; it was another to make them believe they were living their worst nightmare.

I had one more week to the games and apparently Jasper had dropped out after knowing I was taking part. I didn't have time to dwell on why he would do that. I didn't have time for him to be a distraction again. I wasn't doing that again. Not with him.

............

"So I take it you're still in denial about Jasper." Phobos said handing me a drink.

"Can we not talk about him?" I sighed.

"What are you so afraid of Thalia?" He asked.

"Shouldn't you know oh god of fear?" I scoffed.

"We both know neither of us can sense the others fear."

"It's a good thing too." I said. "Makes life easier."

"Yeah it does." He chuckled. "You won't be able to sense mine or his you know that?"

"Why his?" I asked.

"Because he can do the same thing I can. He also can do the same thing Deimos can. He's like a walking helm of darkness. The original manifestation of fear. You can't sense fear's fear."

"Wow."

"That's not all he can do. He's the most deadly god in existence. That's why Zeus keeps him close. If Jasper ever chose to take over Olympus he'd do it without a hinge."

"You want to know what I'm scared of." I asked after a few seconds of silence.

"I did ask"

"I scared of him using me and me letting him. I'm scared the minute he comes back I won't be able to resist. I'll turn into the same pathetic girl I was when he found me and crawl back to him."

"Well for one thing you aren't the same pathetic girl anymore. For another thing I don't think you were ever pathetic in the first place. You were human, which isn't pathetic." Phobos said. "Don't fight whatever it is you feel for him because then your emotions and fear of falling will control your life. Let nature take its course. And one thing I'm a hundred percent sure of is if he was really using you, he wouldn't care as much as he does."

"Do the guys know you give really great relationship advice?" I asked smiling at him.

"If you tell them I will kill you." He frowned.

"Can't promise anything." I laughed standing up.